March 31, 2015 --Thanks for your patience during our Park
opening delay as we flew in materials for work on the
Outcroppings trail this morning. The Park is now open, and our
elevator is in service after routine maintenance work yesterday
morning. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Outcroppings Progress in the Making

Soon after NC State Parks bought Chimney Rock Park in 2007, an
inventory was done to determine the condition of the trails and
Park structures. Several did not meet state construction
standards and were closed until improvements could be made.
Access to popular destinations along the Outcroppings trail—the
Subway, Grotto and Pulpit Rock—were closed at that time. But, as
noted in the State Parks’ Master Plan for Chimney Rock State
Park, these destinations along the Outcroppings trail were to be
redesigned, rebuilt and reopened.

And, work is well underway! A crew with NHM Constructors, LLC
out of Asheville began in December 2014 to rebuild the stairs
and boardwalks that will restore access to these unique features
along the trail that leads to the “Rock.” As you can imagine,
this is no easy task. Materials have been brought in by truck
and carried up the mountain. A helicopter flew 70 loads of
materials to the site in one afternoon, with the pilot threading
the materials down through trees for the crew on the ground to
put in place. The harsh winter weather we’ve been experiencing
has made it even more difficult! But all of these efforts will
be well worth it once access is complete. If work remains on
schedule, Pulpit Rock, the Grotto and the Subway will be ready
for you to experience by late spring.

Check out photos of our progress on this page. We’ll be adding
updates and more images here and on our Facebook page to show you how things
are going. Make plans to come visit. You’ll be impressed with
what’s been happening during this generally quiet time of the
year.